1. We’ll Handle That For You: Campus Transition to the NC RDS

2. Freeman Whitney Associate Registrar
The University of North Carolina Wilmington

3. Today’s Presentation About UNCW Residency in North Carolina
Campus-based residency determination
Residency Determination Service (RDS)
Managing the transition
Life under RDS

4. About UNCW Part of UNC System 16,500 students (14,500 UG / 2000 GR)
Serving southeastern region of NC
80% in-state students
Bachelor – Doctoral degrees
Large military-affiliated population (14%)

6. Residency in NC
NC education established to primarily benefit NC residents
Criteria for in-state status established by state law
Procedures on determining status set by state authorities
In-state = $
State grant eligible
Out-of-state = $$$
State grant ineligible

7. Residency in NC ◦ Intent ◦ Active duty military
Students have high interest in qualifying for in-state by showing
◦ Intent
◦ Capacity
◦ Domicile
◦ Duration
◦ Residentiary acts
◦ Financial independence
Benefit programs allow in-state rate
◦ Active duty military
◦ Veterans
◦ National Guard
◦ Wards of state
◦ UNC System employees

8. Campus Based Process
Until 2017, each campus determined residency for its students
State manual provided direction
Occasional state training events
Application form and submission of supporting documentation
Numerous staff involved in process
◦ Initial Decision [Admissions]
◦ Reclassification [Registrar]
◦ Residency Appeals Board [Cross-campus]
◦ State Residency Committee [System-wide]
Time, training, and touches were considerable

9. Campus Based Process
Determination made from evidence available to reviewer
◦ Not always the complete picture
▫ Sloppy or misleading?
◦ Process stalled waiting for documents
◦ Large degree of trust
◦ Lack of expertise on documents
◦ Handling sensitive data
Different determinations from schools within UNC System & NCCCS
High use of campus resources
Potential for adversarial relationship between applicant and institution

10. Why Change It? Create standard review process across state
One decision to be used at all schools
Eliminate inconsistent determinations
Verification of data reported by applicants
Allow future students to determine status prior to admission process
Best use of available technology to speed up reviews and enhance service

11. Centralized Process
Establishment of Residency Determination Service (RDS)
Process removed from campuses
For UNCW, UG go-live was Feb. 2017
Umbrella service for NC
◦ 2 year and 4 year
◦ Public and private
▫ Graduate Schools = Fall 2018
RDS handles initial determination through appeals
Customer service by phone
Web-based informational interview

12. Centralized Process
Conditional logic and branching means only relevant questions are presented
Data is collected from student (DOB, address, DL number, etc)
Questions continue until data is sufficient for determination
Status delivered at end of interview
If out-of-state . . .
◦ Reconsideration is next step
◦ RDS Appeal follows
◦ State Education Assistance Authority Appeal is final

13. Centralized Process If in-state . . .
◦ Pending Validation status
▫ Data entered by student is validated
against federal and NC databases
◦ Failed validation changes status to out-of- state
◦ In-state determinations have 15 month shelf-life for matriculation
◦ Status does not need to be renewed when enrollment remains continuous
Campus referral if Veteran’s Choice Act student or UNC System employee
Students can seek updated determination when continuing students

14. Centralized Residency

15.
“Complete Residency Determination”
Log-in or create username/password

16. Provide consent for data verification

20. Success!

21. Notice

22. Validated Determination

23. Campus Notification Automated updates from RDS to SIS
Custom Banner processes to retrieve updated status info
RDS worked with Ellucian
Students auto-updated when no registration for effective term
◦ Admission Pros
◦ Banner SAAADMS
◦ Banner SGASTDN
Provides hands-off updating of student records drawn from RDS data
Daily update has proven sufficient

24. Campus Notification Manual update from RDS to SIS
Custom Banner forms and processes to retrieve updated status info
RDS worked with Ellucian
Students require manual when registration for effective term exists
◦ Banner SFAREGS
Needed for mismatch records where data points need resolution
Needed for urgent updates

25. Custom Form

26. Campus Transition Multi-year project ◦ Planning from 2014
◦ Planned go-live was fall 2015
◦ UNCW go-live was February 2017
◦ Peak activity April 2016-March 2017
Designated campus liaison
University Registrar
Cross-campus implementation team IT
Registrar
Admissions
Undergraduate Re-admission
Graduate School
Residency Appeals Board

27. Campus Transition Team activities Campus Concerns
◦ System updates and testing
◦ Working through test-case scenarios
◦ Conference calls with RDS
◦ Site visits from RDS
◦ Updating publications and websites
◦ Keeping campus updated
Campus Concerns
◦ “Initiative fatigue”
◦ Lack of confidence/trust
◦ Loss of local control
◦ Unsure how to advise students for future
◦ Inadequate mechanisms to update campus partners
◦ Handling of military-affiliated students

28. Campus Transition Printing of referral cards
Confusion when student/family had used old process
Campus community still catching up on new process, sometimes doubting RDS capability

29. Life Under RDS Overall, positive change for students
◦ Status known before application
◦ Status usable across state
◦ Fast, reliable process
◦ Determination based on facts, not skill in assembling documentation
◦ Dedicated customer service
◦ Talk with the state about policies from the state
◦ Many veterans end up as in-state rather than Choice Act recipients
- Overall, positive change for UNCW
◦ Staff time moved to other tasks
◦ Student situations have been handled well by RDS

30. Life Under RDS In progress . . . .
◦ End to adversarial relationship with students and families
◦ Continue meeting needs of veterans and dependents
In progress
◦ Grad schools launching late fall 2018
◦ Addressing student data entry errors (wrong DOB or SSN)
◦ Student understanding of “pending verification”
◦ Handling parts of term

31. Questions?